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| (1) |
A person may enter for the 2025 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) as a private candidate provided he/she has satisfied the requirements set out at (a) or (b) or (c) below:
| (a) |
The person has sat the previous Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) or an equivalent examination, or |
| (b) |
The person has reached the age of 19 by 1 January of the year of the Examination, or |
| (c) |
The person has completed or is currently pursuing a non-HKDSE curriculum equivalent to Secondary 6 as determined by the HKEAA in the year preceding the Examination. |
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| (2) |
The Authority may consider applications from persons possessing other qualifications or pleading special circumstances. Persons who have sat other public examinations are expected to demonstrate a suitable level of competence in the same subject(s) entered for the Examination and may be required to provide supporting documents from their schools, if applicable. Persons who are currently pursuing an HKDSE curriculum will not normally be considered for special entry to the Examination. Exceptional cases may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applications under this regulation must be made in writing to the Secretary General before the normal closing date for entry.
For the application for special entry to the 2025 HKDSE as a private candidate, please click here to download the application form and application guides. For more details, please refer to the procedural guides and FAQs on special entry. |
| (3) |
A private candidate may enter for a subject which requires laboratory/workshop facilities only if the candidate can produce evidence of having sat the subject in a previous HKDSE or in an equivalent public examination, or having completed or is currently pursuing the study of the subject up to a level equivalent to the HKDSE in the year preceding the Examination. [Notwithstanding this provision, the Authority will not accept entries from private candidates for Design and Applied Technology.] |
| (4) |
For Category A subjects with an SBA component, private candidates are not required to complete the SBA component of the subjects entered (except Visual Arts). Their subject marks will be based entirely on their public examination results. For Visual Arts in which the SBA component carries a weighting of 50%, private candidates will be required to submit a portfolio in lieu of the SBA. |